Cassida coagulata Boheman, 1854

Borowiec, Lech & Świętojańska, Jolanta, 2022, A monograph of the Afrotropical Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Part 6. Revision of the tribe Cassidini 3, the genus Cassida L., Zootaxa 5171 (1), pp. 1-250 : 46-49

Cassida coagulata Boheman, 1854

( figs. 12 , 69–71 )

Cassida coagulata Boheman, 1854: 468, 1856: 142 , 1862: 344; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3652; Spaeth, 1902: 458; 1909: 268; 1912 b: 496, 1919: 184; Weise, 1910: 452; Shaw, 1956: 268; Heron & Borowiec, 1997: 630; Borowiec, 1999: 244, 2005 a: 122; Heron, 2003: 33.

Cassida (Cassida) coagulata: Spaeth, 1914 b: 117, 1924: 331 .

Description. L: 6.45–8.40 mm, W: 4.90–6.50 mm, Lp: 2.20–2.90 mm, Wp: 3.90–4.90 mm, L/W: 1.24–1.36, Wp/ Lp: 1.64–1.85. Body broadly–oval, males slightly stouter than females ( figs. 69, 70 ).

In typically coloured specimens pronotum ochraceous, in pale specimens yellowish, disc with ochraceous V– shaped spot on top and irregular transverse spots posterolaterally, spots usually with diffused borders. Scutellum ochraceous, elytral disc in typically coloured specimens ochraceous with yellowish postscutellar elevation and some elevated folds posteriorly and dark brown circular spot behind scutellum and dark brown stripe on elevated second interval on slope ( figs. 69, 70 ). In pale specimens ground colour of elytral disc yellowish ochraceous with largely yellow elevated area behind scutellum, yellow elevations on slope, yellow area below humerus, yellow lateral fold and yellow apical part of marginal interval. Explanate margin yellow to ochraceous always with brown, moderately broad posterolateral spot. Head ochraceous, ventrites and legs from pale ochraceous to brown, in the darkest specimens central part of metathorax and abdomen dark brown surrounded by paler brown and femora in the middle with broad brown rings. Antennae yellow to ochraceous.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width slightly before the middle, anterior margin slightly convex, sides broadly rounded, no basal corners. Lateral lobes indistinct, disc indistinctly bordered from explanate margin only laterally with short impression. Surface of disc from slightly alutaceous to shiny, microreticulate with fine pricks. Explanate margin broad, its surface from slightly alutaceous to slightly shiny, impunctate, semitransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Base of elytra only slightly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles distinctly protruding anterad, form obtuse angle. Disc strongly convex in profile, with distinct postscutellar and principal impressions, but without postscutellar hump ( fig. 71 , strongly sculptured. Postscutellar area with broad X–shaped elevation, second interval on entire length and fourth interval behind the middle distinctly convex, and almost entire surface of disc in posterior part with numerous transverse folds and wrinkles. Punctation moderately coarse, tends to form regular rows, but rows partly interrupted by elytral sculpture. Marginal row distinct, its punctures only distinctly coarser than punctures in central rows, moderately dense, interrupted by humeral and lateral folds. Intervals mostly as wide as row except broader second elevated interval, its regularity is disturbed by elytral sculpture, marginal interval broad, in humeral part twice to thrice wider than lateral intervals, with broad humeral and lateral folds. Surface of intervals from slightly alutaceous to shiny. Explanate margin moderately broad, strongly declivous, in the widest part four times narrower than disc, surface from slightly alutaceous to slightly shiny with moderately coarse, shallow sparse punctation, appears slightly irregular, semitransparent with more or less visible honeycomb structure.

Eyes large, gena slightly shorter than last palpomere. Clypeus very broad, approximately 1.4 times as wide as long. Clypeal grooves deep, converging in regular triangle, along groove with row of long hair, surface of clypeus flat or shallowly impressed, its surface microreticulate but shiny with several small punctures. Labrum broadly emarginate to 1/4 length. Antennae moderately slim, segments 9–10 slightly longer than wide. Length ratio of antennal segments: 100:45:84:70:64:59:61:50:50:55:97. Segment 3 approximately 1.9 times as long as segment 2 and approximately 1.2 times as long as segment 4.

Prosternum narrow in the middle, strongly expanded apically, area between coxa flat shallowly canaliculate, shiny with sparse long hair, expanded apex without special sculpture, shiny, with several very small, setose punctures.

Claws simple.

Host plants. Amaranthaceae : Achyranthes aspera L., Amaranthus viridis L., Celosia argentea L. ( Heron and Borowiec 1997, Borowiec 1999, Heron 2003, 2008); Chenopodiaceae : Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla L. (B. Grobbelaar pers. comm.).

Distribution. Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa ( fig. 12 ).

Remarks. A member of the Cassida coagulata species–group. It well differs from most African species of the genus Cassida in large size (length always above 6.4 mm), strongly convex body, in male almost hemispherical, broadly rounded pronotal sides, elytral disc without postscutellar hump and well marked elytral sculpture forming H–shaped postscutellar mark and second interval forming a short fold on elytral slope ( figs. 69, 70 ). Only C. irrorata has a similar combination of characters but differs in slimmer body (L/W ratio 1.34–1.46 vs. 1.24–1.36), surface of elytra indistinctly sculptured, only with very low and obtuse H–shaped elevation (figs. 72, 73), apical antennal segments 8–11 brown to black (in C. coagulata antennae uniformly yellow to ochraceous), and explanate margin of elytra without posterolateral and sutural spots (in C. coagulata posterolateral spots are always present and usually there also occurs a narrow sutural spot sometimes reduced only to a narrow stripe on elevated sutural margin).

Type examined. Lectotype (designatet by Borowiec, 1999: 244): [ SOUTH AFRICA]: Natal, Pt. Natal, 1, Vahlberg ( NRS).

Other specimens examined. KENYA: 20 km S Malindi , 10 XI–6 XII 1989, 4, L. Bartolozzi, L. Pardi and A. Ugolini ( MZUF, MNHW) ; Mwene–Ramissi , V 1916, 1, Methner ( ZMHU) ; Tsavo, Taita Hills, Wundanyi , 6–10 IV 1997, 1, M. Snižek ( MS) .

MALAWI: Chiromo , Ruo Valley, III 1916, 1, R. C. Wood ( BMNH) ; Cholo , XII 1918, 8, R. C. Wood ( BMNH, LS) ; from Florence Bay to Baronga, NW shore of Lake Nyasa, 1.650 ft., 30 VI–6 VII 1910, 1, S. A. Neave ( BMNH) ; Fort Mangoche–Chikala Boma road, 4000 ft., 20–25 III 1910, 2, S.A. Neave ( BMNH) ; 5 km W Golomoti , 22–23 I 1985, 650 m, 1, C.L. Bellamy et al. ( ER) ; Lower Shire Valley , near Chikawa, 600 ft., 12–16 IV 1910, 2, S.A. Neave ( BMNH, MNHW) ; Ruo Valley , 2.000 ft., 9 IV 1913, 2, S. A. Neave ( BMNH) .

MOZAMBIQUE: Chibababa , Lower Buzi River, XII 1906, 1, C. F. M. Swynnerton ( BMNH) ; Delagoa Bay , 1 ( ZMHU) ; Lourenço Marquès , 1, G. Audeoud ( MNHW) , 10 VIII 1900, 1, F. Muir ( BMNH) .

SOUTH AFRICA: Amanzimtoti , 14 II 1946, 1, H.P. Thomasset ( TM) ; Durban , Natal, 1902, 1, F. Muir ( BMNH) ; Eshowe , Zululand, I 1957, 6, N. L. H. Krauss ( BMNH) ; Maputoland , SE of Ndumo, 24 I 2003, 1, M. Snižek ( MS) ; Natal , 2 ( NMP, ZMHU) ; Natal , Dlinza Forest , Eshowe, Zululand, 28°54’S, 31°30’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Durban, 2 ( ZMHU) , 20 X 1906, 1, 28 XII 1906, 1, 31 X 1906, 1, G.F. Leigh ( TM, MNHW) ; Natal , Edgewood Colege, Pinetown, 29°48’S, 30°54’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Escombe, Queensburgh, 29°33’S, 30°54’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Illanda Wilds Reserve, Amanzimtoti, 30°03’S, 30°53’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Mariannhill Monastery, Pinetown, 16 km W of Durban, 29°51’S, 30°50’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Mposa (Zululand), 28°37’59’’S, 32°02’59’’E, 1 ( ARC) ; Natal , Paradise Valley Nat. Res., Pinetown, 29°49’54’’S, 30°53’30’’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Pennington, South Coast, 30°23’S, 30°42’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Pigeon Valley Park , Berea, Durban, 29°51’53’’S, 30°59’19’’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal, S. Lucia , 18–25 II 1960, 1, Hejja ( HNHM) , 29 X 1981, 3, J. Klapperich ( MZSNV, MNHW) ; Natal , Shongweni Resources Reserve, Umlaas, 29°51’S, 30°43’E, 1 ( HH) ; Natal , Tongaat, 1, H.C. Burnup ( TM) ; Natal , Umbilo Vall. , Umbilo, Durban, 16 III 1989, 1, H. Heron ( HH) ; Natal , “Underthe Marula”, Shongweni, 1 ( HH) ; Tongaat , Natal, 1909, 1, H. C. Burnup ( BMNH) ; Transvaal , 5 ( ZMHU) ; Transvaal , Zoutpansberg, 800 m, 2 ( ITZ) ; Transvaal , Zoutspanberg, Mp’home, 3, Knothe ( ZMHU, MNHW) .

TANZANIA: Gonja , 31 I 1906, 1, Schröder ( MNHW) ; Kilimandjaro Sud–Est, Moschi , 800 m, IV 1912, 1, Alluaud & Jeannel ( MNHN) ; Kilimatinde , 1, Berger ( ZMHU) ; Kilosa , 5 II 1926, 1, N. C. E. Miller ( BMNH) ; Kwai , 1, Paul ( ZMHU) ; Kisanga, Mikumi , 3 I 1992, 1, G. Curletti ( MCSNC) ; Langenburg , III–IV 1899, 1, 21 II–19 III 1898, 1, 15 III–23 IV 1898, 1, 7 VIII 1898, 2, Fülleborn ( ZMHU, MNHW) ; Lindi, Massasi , 13 IV 1897, 1, Fülleborn ( ZMHU) ; Makonde , XII 1916, 2, Methner ( ZMHU) ; Mbeya, Lake Rukwa, 1, E. Ross ( BMNH) ; Mikumi , 17–20 XII 1993, 1, M. Snižek ( MS) ; Mombo , 3, Paul ( ZMHU) , 1, Sjöstedt ( ZMHU); Mrogoro , 2 ( DEI, MRAC) ; N Nyassa, Langenburg , 15 III–23 IV 1898, 9, IV 1899, 1, Fülleborn ( ZMHU, MNHW) ; Rufiyi Mittl. , 1, Schuster ( ZMHU) ; Ukami , 1, Boronigs ( ZMHU) ; Uluguru Mts. , IV 1991, 1, Werner ( DS) ; Urungu n. Bismarckburg, 1, Zencke ( ZMHU) ; Usagara , 1 ( ZMHU) ; Usambara , Nguela, 1 ( IRSN) ; Zanzibar, 1, M. Maindron ( MNHN) .

ZAMBIA: Chingombe mission, 14.30 S / 29.55 E, III 1929, 1 ( MNHW) ; E Luangwa, Petauke , 2400 ft., 26 II 1905, 1, 16 III 1905, 3, 18 III 1905, 3, 20 III 1905, 2, 24 III 1905, 4, 29 III 1905, 1, S.A. Neave ( HOC) ; upper Luangwa Valley , 1800–2000 ft., 27 III 1908, 1, S.A. Neave ( HOC) , 27 VII–13 VIII 1910, 1, S. A. Neave ( BMNH) ; Niamadzi River near Nawalia, 2.000 ft., 17–22 VIII 1910, 1, S. A. Neave ( BMNH) .

ZIMBABWE: Chipinga , I 1962, 4 ( NMM, MNHW) .

VARIA: Caifa , Zambesi, 5 II 1911, 1, 10 V 1911, 1, H. Swalle ( BMNH) .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Distribution of Cassida coagulata.

FIGURES 69–71. Cassida coagulata. FIGURES 72–74. Cassida irrorata. 69–70, 72–73. Dorsal; 71, 74. Lateral.